(5) Belly Fat Fighting Foods …Plus a Drink!

My New BFFF!

Hello, Golden Divas,

By now you have read plenty in my blog posts regarding that stubborn menopause weight; however, today I would like to target our midsection again and why it is so hard to go away. Let’s get a jump on how we can finally get rid of that unwanted baggage we are carrying around with the right food choices.

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on “The Unwanted Muffin Top” I would like to follow-up with some great food choices to aid you in losing that stubborn belly fat and food that beat hormone problems.

The Cause of that Billowy Bulge

First, let’s take a look at what causes the belly fat again. As you may know, as we age our hormonal imbalance causes a shift in weight distribution. You guessed it our fat is now easily and readily stored in our belly. 

Unfortunately, this is can become a significant risk factor that may cause heart disease in women over 50 due to the increase in blood fat. You see Golden Divas our new bulging belly fat is “metabolically active” meaning it easily releases fatty acids into the bloodstream. Now that scares me a lot because I have picked up some extra baggage in my midsection!

Hormones and menopausal weight gain

Here’s a refresher ladies: Estrogen is the hormone culprit that causes the post-menopausal belly fat, it is produced by your ovaries and by your fat cells. So when menopause puts the brakes on estrogen from your ovaries, your body looks for your fat cells to keep it supplied.

So, after menopause belly fat helps your body to make the estrogen it wants.

But…in the big picture of menopausal weight gain, estrogen is only part of the story.

So what’s the other part of the Story?

Well….your body shape and hormones are the other part of the story. Ladies, the predictable hormonal imbalances are usually where you carry your most stubborn fat. Okay, if we were thinking in terms of fruit are you a pear or an apple shape?

Natural pear-shaped women have a tendency of easily gaining weight in their lower half in their thighs and hips. Fat distribution is ruled by excessively high estrogen levels.

Now if you are a natural apple-shaped woman you have a tendency of easily gaining stomach fat. The cortisol hormone plays a HUGE factor in this particular shape.

However, ladies, no one shape is exempt from the ‘Belly Fat Bulge’ both pear and apple shape women easily gain stomach fat during and after menopause due to the following:

1. High stress
2. Inactivity
3. Poor eating habits

As much as we want to turn back the hands of time on estrogen production, we can move forward by trying to control the hormonal imbalance by reducing stress, getting adequate sleep, exercising, and most importantly changing the foods you eat. Easily said than done… I know. However, keep on reading. 

How to Lose Menopausal Belly Fat with Diet

According to Dr. Becky to get rid of menopausal belly fat and correct hormonal imbalances you must do the following three things:

(1) Avoiding foods that encourage fat storage

(2) Avoiding all-day grazing

(3) Eating foods that encourage fat burning

Foods to Avoid for Menopausal Belly Fat 

1. Packaged Low-Calorie Diet Foods. Foods that are packaged and promoted as “diet foods” are often unhealthy, and rarely a helpful part of a weight loss diet. Diet foods reduce calories by doing one or more of the following:

• Low in calories due to small portions. Yes, you’re getting fewer calories, but the portion is not satisfying and could trigger cravings for more.
• Low in calories due to artificial sweeteners. While there are differing opinions on artificial sweeteners, there is some evidence that they are inflammatory foods, which increases stress on the body. There are also those that theorize that artificial sweeteners boost cortisol levels, which in turn leads to belly fat. 
• Low in calories due to replacing fat with sugar. Fat gives food a satisfying flavor, so when it’s removed from a food, something equally satisfying needs to take its place…enter sugar. Sugar has fewer calories per gram than fat, so it reduces the overall calorie count of the food, but the food is just as fattening…

2. Sugar and Refined Carbs. The refining process removes fiber from food. Without fiber, there is nothing to slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.

This high blood sugar level must be cleared out quickly, which is why most of it is dumped into fat cells.

Stop Grazing!!!

The diet arena promoted five or six small meals throughout the day to reduce your weight a few years ago, turns out belly fat is contributed to a lot snacking throughout the day to satisfy your hunger.  As it turns out, this advice may promote FAT STORAGE, NOT FAT LOSS. You heard me, ladies. So be very careful with all of that excessive snacking throughout the day.

Dr. Becky gives a great example so that you can understand this clearer she states the following.

“If you think of movement in and out of your fat cells as the tide you observe when you visit the beach. A tide either moves in or moves out, never both at the same time.”

The same thing happens in your body. You are either storing fat or removing it. The deciding factor has a lot to do with your eating schedule.

When you eat a meal, sugar enters your blood. That sugar causes insulin to be released. When insulin is high, fat is stored, and not burned (i.e. the tide is moving into your fat cells, not out).

When you fast, your blood sugar level, and therefore your insulin level is low, so fat is able to leave the fat cells. By fasting at night, you can create a 12-hour time-restricted eating pattern that speeds fat loss. 

So What Is The Menopausal Diet Plan? 

I’m glad you asked? 

Did you know you can actively encourage belly fat burning by selecting better food?

1. Vegetables. Naturally low in calories and high in nutrients and fiber, vegetables help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which eliminates the high insulin levels that promote fat storage.
2. Whole food fats. Foods, such as nuts, seeds, and avocados block fat storage by providing the right mix of healthy fats, protein, and fiber.
3. Chia seeds and flax seeds. These weight loss foods lower blood sugar and encourage fat burning.
4. Cinnamon. This tasty seasoning improves insulin sensitivity, which lessens the belly fat storage caused by high cortisol levels.
5. Dark Chocolate. To keep your diet interesting, you can choose dark chocolate, which is lower in sugar than regular chocolate and keeps cortisol levels in check making it less likely for fat to build on at your waist.

The key to enjoying chocolate as a healthy treat is to choose the right type and don’t overdo it.

Healthy dark chocolate contains 70% or higher cacao content. Even though dark chocolate has health benefits, too much will ruin weight loss, so stick with a square or two as a small dessert.

6. What about alcohol? According to the North American Menopausal Society, moderate drinking is acceptable.

To stay in the moderate range, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) recommends that you drink “no more than seven drinks per week and no more than three drinks on any single day.”

This is how the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) defines one standard drink:

• 5 fluid ounces (one glass) of wine (about 12% alcohol). Don’t let your wine glass fool you—most hold much more than 5 ounces.
• 12 fluid ounces (usually one can or bottle) of regular beer (about 5% alcohol)
• 1.5 fluid ounces (one-shot) of 80-proof distilled spirits

Seriously…Is it possible to lose weight after menopause? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Golden Divas, if you’re at the age of menopause, and you’re noticing that you are rapidly gaining weight in your belly, now is the time to get your hormones working for you.

The foods that are listed above are a great starting point, but ladies if you’ve struggled with putting a complete plan together to successfully fight menopausal belly fat, then I encourage you to look into Dr. Becky’s Weight Loss Coaching Program.

The program is ideal for perimenopausal or menopausal women over 40 who want a sane approach for overall weight loss.

Golden Diva’s what are some fat burning foods that are working for you to lose belly fat?

*The pictures posted are of the food and drinks that are recommended to eat to fight belly fat. *

Source:

http://www.drBeckyfitness.com/how-to-lose-menopause-belly-fat-foods-that-beat-hormone-problems/